Yoshitomo Nara Joins David Zwirner

Yoshitomo Nara b. 1959, Japan Follow +

David Zwirner has announced the representation of Japanese painter Yoshitomo Nara in collaboration with Joe Baptista, the artist’s international agent and founder of Equivalence Art Agency.

Nara had been represented by Pace Gallery since 2011, where Baptista was previously a partner. Marc Glimcher, president and CEO of Pace, describes the move as ‘a little surprising’, but will continue to maintain a relationship with the artist. ‘We are so proud of everything we have done for Yoshitomo Nara. Looking back on our 14 years of working together, we would not do anything differently.’

Nara’s paintings and sculptures often depict devious characters inspired by his childhood in postwar Japan and influenced by his years studying in Germany. More recent work has considered the devastating 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and the resulting tsunami and nuclear disaster in Fukushima.

The artist, who recently presented a major retrospective at London’s Hayward Gallery, says, ‘I feel fortunate to present [my works] under the guidance of a gallerist who, though born and raised in a different place, shares the same generation and the spirit of the era we both lived through—including its subcultures.’

Zwirner, who is five years Nara’s junior, adds: ‘Nara and I did not just share formative years in Cologne, but also a deep love for music. To me, Nara’s work is not unlike a great song: personal, emotive, uncompromising, and open to experimentation.’

The German mega-gallerist represents over 70 artists and estates including Alice Neel, Marlene Dumas, Kerry James Marshall, Félix González-Torres, and Gerhard Richter. Despite the gallery not having a presence in Japan, Zwirner’s roster also boasts several other major Japanese artists, including Yayoi Kusama, On Kawara, and emerging talent Yu Nishimura, signed this past May.

Nara’s first exhibition with David Zwirner will be presented in New York, with dates to be announced. —[O]

Main image: Yoshitomo Nara, Midnight Tears (2023) (detail). Collection of Guggenheim Museum Bilbao. © Yoshitomo Nara. Courtesy the artist and David Zwirner.